310-499-9983
Did you get a call from 310-499-9983? Read the posts below to find out details about this number. Also report unwanted calls to help identify who is using this phone number.
CHAD24 May 2008- It's a scam.
This is a very active group of overseas scammers who attempt to extort money from Americans with a myriad of false and illegal threats. They alternately pose as debt collectors, federal and state law enforcement officers, lawyers and bankers. They use any number of phony names such as US National Bank, US Legal Investigation Bureau, Hopkins Law Office, Morgan Associates, White Collar Crime Unit and many more. These crooks often use caller-id spoofing software and/or VoIP to disguise their real location and to make it appear that they are calling from American area codes.
One thing to remember is that anytime someone calls you demanding money to prevent your arrest, it is ALWAYS a scam. No debt collector (let alone criminals posing as debt collectors) have the authority to have anyone arrested for anything. (And it's illegal to them to threaten such a thing.) And since these foreign dirtbags routinely impersonate law enforcement, it's also important to remember that American law enforcement officers aren't in the business of debt collection.
The bottom line is, these are criminals trying to steal your money. I suggest you do all the following (most of which you can do online):
1) The U.S. Secret Service is responsible for protecting the country's financial infrastructure and payment systems from international and domestic threats. Call or write your local Secret Service field office to alert them to the details of this attempted extortion. The addresses and phone numbers for the local Secret Service field offices are listed at http://www.secretservice.gov/field_offices.shtml or in your phone book.
2) Alert the FBI at https://tips.fbi.gov Be sure to tell the FBI that you are being targeted by extortionists over the phone and give them all the details.
3) File a complaint with your local police. Most police departments will take a report over the phone. Be sure to tell them that you're being targeted by an extortionist and give them all the details.
4) File a complaint your state's attorney general, the contact information for whom is at www.naag.org
5) File a complaint online with The Federal Trade Commission at https://rn.ftc.gov/pls/dod/wsolcq$.startup?Z_ORG_CODE=PU01
If these crooks call back, promise them nothing, pay them nothing and tell them nothing other than that you know they're a scam and that you've reported them to law enforcement. (And be sure to report them to all the agencies above each time they call you.)
By the way, here's just a small sample of numbers used by this particular group of scammers. Read the reports and you'll see the same pattern time and again -- phony organization names, thick foreign accents, and oddly worded threats that are so melodramatic and ridiculous that it's laughable:
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-925-262-1327
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-678-954-6346
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-888-341-4004
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-856-831-0640
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-949-743-1140
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-410-505-8128
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-917-464-2534
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-210-858-6602
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-888-775-2121
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-949-743-1156
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-214-245-1402
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-214-245-0922
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-214-723-5572
Hope this helps.- ABC News just did an investigative piece on this particular scam operation. Here's the report: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=5621205&page=1
- Bucky28 May 2008My call was the same as the other callers, threatened to lock me up and file charges. This was on a payday loan back in 2005. I had looked up the US National Bank and the info that came up said this was a scam that there was no US National Bank and that foreigners were using this for a scam to get money out of people. They would not give me any info on the amount owed. They just wanted money by 4:30 today or I would get locked up. Got to checking into this and found this site. Reported to the Attorney General in our state and contacted a lawyer and they would not give him any info or a mailing address. Lawyer advised to record info if they call again.
- Worried Citizen29 May 2008I received a call from these people yesterday. They said this was on a loan or something that was took back in 2005. I told him I had never had any dealings with a U.S. National Bank so he had to have the wrong person. Then he told me I needed to have my attorney contact them or they were going to have me downloaded by 4:30 p.m. I told him not to call me back at work and download me if he needed to. So, they called me back at 3:00 p.m. At this point I had already found this site and contacted the Attorney General. So I told him I knew this was a scam and that they had been reported to the Attorney General. He got really mad and I told him at that point not to call me back at work. Well I hung up and guess what he called straight back and the office manager answered the phone and told him not to call back here and he told her not to get smart with him. So she hung up on him and he called right back again. I answered and he asked me if I wanted him to come over here and f**k me in the bloody a**hole. I said execuse me and he repeated himself. So I told him to go to he!! and never call my work place again and he called right back and asked what the "f" was my problem and what kind of "f in" business was we running over here and I was like excuse me sir, you have been very vugular with me and I will not take this from you. No one talks to me that way and I hung up. He preceded to call back about 20 or so times.
So I got a call from the Attorney General this morning and she said they have called the number which we all have got a call from and they told her they were a debt collection agency. She said that she is very doubtful it is legit. So they are going to contact them on my behalf and tell them not to have anymore contact with me and they will keep me updated. I hope they get shut down and locked up!!!!- worried citizen= i feel your pain. they keep calling my work place too. i called back and told them the fbi has been notified and they are investigating it. i am calling my atty generals office next as well. they are rude indians and i am getting extremely frustrated. what is the name of the person that is contacting you?
- Leo Watkins; Andy Smith; and Mark Watson. They have told me different company names as well: Hopkins Law Firm; US National Bank; Legal Affidavit Unit; and Restitution Department. These people need to be shut down!!! Can you say CROOKS!!!!!!
I'm very sorry to hear what your going through as well. Maybe if we all fight this together we can get something done.- Aggravated and Red, if you haven't contacted the U.S. Secret Service yet, you may want to. As a bureau of the Treasury Department, the USSS pursues crooks around the world who counterfeit U.S. currency or use America's financial and payments systems to further a criminal enterprise.
Here's an item of the USSS's website that you may find interesting:
"The Secret Service's ECTF and Electronic Crimes Working Group initiatives prioritize investigative cases that involve electronic crimes. These initiatives provide necessary support and resources to field investigations that meet any one of the following criteria: significant economic or community impact; participation of organized criminal groups involving multiple districts or transnational organizations; use of schemes involving new technology ..."
Note the mention of "organized criminal groups", "transnational organizations" and "schemes involving new technology". The crooks targeting you most certainly meet those criteria.
So check out http://www.secretservice.gov/field_offices.shtml and locate the USSS field office closest to you and give them a call with all the details. I've worked with the Secret Service on other matters over the years; they are top-notch.
The only reason crooks like this are eventually put out of business is that people like you refuse to be victims. Keep up the good fight, and good luck.
- DENISE29 May 2008I HAVE RECEIVED 4 CALLS PER MY COWORKER THAT THESE PEOPLE HAVE CALLED ASKING FOR ME. I WORK IN SURGERY, SO I WAS IN A CASE AT THE TIME THE MAN CALLED, AND HE WAS VERY RUDE WITH MY CO WORKER, THE LAST TIME HE CALLED SHE GOT HIS NAME AND NUMBER, AND SHE LOOKED IT UP AND FOUND THIS SITE. AND TOLD ME TO CONTACT THE SECRET SERVICE, SHE WAS QUITE WORRIED. I HAD JUST BEEN OUT ON FMLA FOR A VERY SICK CHILD WHO HAD LIVER SURGERY, AND HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH PAYING OFF MY CREDITORS, AND I AM ALMOST DONE, SO IT WAS STRANGE THAT I RECEIVED ANOTHER CALL LIKE THIS CONSIDERING THAT I HAVE TALKED TO AND SET UP PAYMENT PLANS WITH MY CREDITORS
- kate30 May 2008got a call from a 'Charlie Jones' - actually, several calls over the past few days. It's laughable. Firstly, if his name's Charlie Jones, then I am Oprah Winfrey. Secondly - here's what he told me:
'what's wrong with you? If you need to take care of yourself returning this call me back at 310.499.9983. This is my last and final warning. Good-bye.'
No idea why I am getting these calls. I'm going to start messing with him just for fun. - michelle30 May 2008These people called my place of work yesterday and told my bosses they were from a law firm and that I had 3 "criminal charges" against me. Getting a note about this from my boss was very embarrassing. I called the number back a man with a heavy arabic or indian accent told me that I would be prosecuted for "check fraud" if I didn't pay back payday loans taken out in 2005. THE MAN HAD MY SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER AND BANK ACCOUNT NUMBER. I told him that I have not received anything in writing about these "charges" against me and he said that they had sent "16 emails" to my email address. I told him that sending an email isn't within the scope of service of process on a lawsuit, and that he can go to hell and stop harassing me. My dad is a prosecuting attorney and I had him call the number back to talk to these people, he told them that he was my attorney and gave them his bar number, and told them to stop harassing me. They have yet to call back - but it was still embarrassing to receive that call at work and have my bosses think that I was involved in some kind of "criminal activity." I just googled their number and found this website, and decided to report the incident to the FBI.
- I have been getting the same kind of calls. But I tried to call them today and guess what the number is disconnected be warned they will try again with different numbers I have already alerted Michigan police department and Monday I am turning the into the attorneys general office what a scam they are irritating me.
- kee2 Jun 2008received a call at work today some foreigner told me i have an affidavit of some sort going to be filed against me if i didn't come up with the money to stop the proceeding this was in regards to a payday loan in 2002 and 2003 they had my information which through me off and had me scared to death said it was theft by deception because i had not paid it all back they threatened me told me to find a good lawyer and so forth who the hell is this?
- lene3 Jun 2008i recevied a call at work today it was a foreigen told me i have an affidavit of some sort that was going to be filed against me if i didn't come with money to stop the proceeding it was regard to a payday loan in 2005 they had all my imfortion so it scared to death said it wass theft by deception because i had not paid it all back but i tought its was all pay in full. so i google the number and this is what i found that they was going other people this way to. so i'm going to get my lawyer to see what can be done with these people.
- Aggervated5 Jun 2008These people have called me again, even after the Attorney General's Office had contacted them. They used the name Morgan Associates. How can I get them to stop contacting me at work. I will get fired if they don't stop and I can't afford to loose my job. I know they are a scam, but now I have to worry about them calling me so much that my boss is going to fire me if they don't stop. What should I do?
- A bunch of criminals are attempting to extort money from you and your boss may fire you over it? Your boss sounds like a jerk.
Rather than threatening to fire you, your boss should call the local police and the phone company and file a complaint. If your boss won't file a police complaint, you should.
If I were in your position, I'd file a police complaint (and complaints with the other law enforcement agencies listed in my message above) each they time these crooks call. And I would also consult a consumer law attorney (many of whom work on contingency) for advice handling not only the calls but also your boss's threats. There are many attorneys and consumer advocate organizations that can help. Here are just a few examples:
http://www.naca.net/debt-collection-abuse/
http://www.budhibbs.com/First.htm
http://www.fairdebtlawyers.com/
http://www.myfairdebt.com/
http://attorneysforconsumers.com/
http://www.westcoastlitigation.com/
http://www.theadvocateslaw.com/
http://www.consumercounselgroup.com/
http://www.creditlawnetwork.com/
Keep one thing in mind -- getting these crooks to stop calling you is difficult because, more than likely, they are calling from offshore. The best course of action is reporting them each time they call, convincing your boss to help you and having a chat with a consumer law professional.
Other phone numbers in the 310 area code